Run the North | Golden Gophers football

[Soapy]

buying stock in Connor Malik

[ShireNiner]

Wish Wisconsin was on the early side of the schedule. Wanna see their asses curb stomped into the turf

everyone hates Wisconsin. That makes me happy.

Anyone but Ohio state as champs plz

That is my thought too for the contenders. I just can’t see it unless something drastic happens.

[ShireNiner]

buying stock in Connor Malik

Today will be the first day I actually get to do some gameplay with him. Let’s see how her does in practice but based on last year, Jalen Smith is my go to guy

[Caesar]

I’ll have to see how the first couple of games go before I make a prognostication. Might be a step back season

[ShireNiner]

I’ll have to see how the first couple of games go before I make a prognostication. Might be a step back season

It will depend how the Big Ten teams turn out. Schedule looks weak for now, but some of those teams might actually be good.

[ShireNiner]

Illionis celebrates after an overtime win against Southern Illinois to open the season (ShireNiner PS5 images)

Forde Minutes Of Big Ten: Week 0

By: Pat Forde | August 28, 2027
Big Ten Senior Writer

Week 0 is traditionally a warm-up to the college football season with a big game sprinkled in here or there. But in the new-look Big Ten, even the warm-ups brought near heart attacks and dread to fan bases. We saw a coaching debut in Happy Valley that lived up to the hype, a near-death experience in Champaign, and a fourth-quarter pulse finally detected in Madison.

The most anticipated debut of the weekend took place in Philadelphia, where Marcus Freeman officially began his Penn State tenure. If Nittany Lion fans were worried about a "transition period," Ethan Grunkemeyer quickly put those fears to bed.



The sophomore QB was near perfect, carving up Temple for 388 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-24 win. Penn State racked up a staggering 580 yards of total offense, while Micah Ford (166 yards, 3 TDs) looked like the next great piece of hardware produced by the State College running back factory. Freeman has a defensive reputation, but if he’s going to hang 40 points on people while playing with "Irish magic," the Big Ten hierarchy just got a lot more crowded at the top.
Award Illinois for the most unnecessary stress of the weekend. Bret Bielema’s squad spent Saturday afternoon in a life-and-death struggle with Southern Illinois, an FCS program that nearly turned the Land of Lincoln into the Land of a Thousand Memes.

The Illini needed 13 points in overtime to escape with a 48-45 victory. While Trey Petty (299 yards, 4 TDs) filled the stat sheet, his two interceptions nearly cost the Barely Fighting Illini. Jerrick Gibson did the heavy lifting with 119 yards, but Sire Gaines (3 TDs) was the one who actually prevented the catastrophic upset. If you need double-digit overtime points to beat a team from the Missouri Valley Conference, the upcoming conference slate is going to look like a horror movie.
For three quarters, the Jason Candle era at Wisconsin looked like it was going to start with a whimper. The Badgers trailed Colorado State and looked every bit like the team that scouts called "bottom of the barrel" in the preseason.

Then, the fourth quarter happened. Wisconsin erupted for 14 unanswered points to escape with a 38-31 win. Brayden Roggow (319 yards, 2 TDs) found a reliable weapon in Steve Bucannon (126 yards, 1 TD), who looks like the real deal. It wasn’t pretty, and the defense still has holes across the board, but for a program desperate for a spark, 1-0 is a hell of a lot better than the alternative.



While everyone else was sweating, UCLA was enjoying a sunny afternoon of target practice. The Bruins dismantled UC Davis 51-14 in a game that was over by the second quarter. Elijah Brown looked poised in his first start, but the story remains Javian Thomas. The Doak Walker finalist gashed the Aggies for 146 yards and three scores.

Don't overlook the quiet efficiency of Maryland’s 24-10 win over James Madison. JMU is a certified giant-killer, yet the Terps kept them off the scoreboard until the final frame. Brent Key has emphasized defensive discipline since arriving in College Park, and holding a high-octane Dukes offense to zero points through 45 minutes is a professional way to start the season.

The warm-up courses are done, and next week the college football world officially goes into action, but for now, we can thank Wisconsin and Illinois for keeping us entertained until the real teams open play.

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Pat Forde is a senior writer for ShireNiner Network who covers Big Ten Football. He cohosts the College Football Enquirer podcast and is a football analyst on the Big Ten Network. He previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN, and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal.

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[ShireNiner]

The time is now for AJ Brand, without a star running back the offense is squarely on his shoulders. (ShireNiner PS5 images.)

Week 1 Preview: Stanford Cardinal (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten) at No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

By: Aiden “AJ” Wexler | September 3, 2027
Minnesota Golden Gopher Reporter

When: Saturday, September 4, 2027
Time: 12:00 pm EST
Broadcast:
Where: Huffington Bank Stadium


Minneapolis, MN— It has been eight months since AJ Brand walked off the field in the College Football Playoff, the weight of a game-ending interception resting squarely on his freshman shoulders. But as the Golden Gophers prepare to kick off the 2027 season, that memory isn’t a burden—it’s the fuel.

The Gophers come into this week with a clear directive from head coach Mick Smith. "Open it up." For a program historically defined by "three yards and a cloud of dust," the 2027 iteration of Minnesota football looks to be a vertical revolution.

Brand, now a battle-tested sophomore, spent the offseason retooling his mechanics and, perhaps more importantly, his memory. After finishing last season as one of the most efficient dual-threats in the Big Ten, his final pass of 2026 became the catalyst for a transformation.

Reports out of camp suggest Minnesota is moving toward a "Power Spread" that allows Brand more autonomy at the line of scrimmage. He won't just be managing games anymore; now he will be asked to win them.

"Last year was a learning experience every week," Brand said during spring ball. "This year I have to put it in. AJ Turner is not walking through the door to save us anymore. It's on us now."



Despite having Fame Ijeboi in the backfield, Smith wants to open the playbook because of three players. Jalen Smith (SO) was the breakout star on special teams last season. Smith has the breakaway speed to make him a serious deep threat to expand the defenses. Last year's top receiver, Kenric Lanier II (SR) is the short option, a threat across the middle, and someone Band trusts already. Then there is Connor Malik(pictured above). The crown jewel of the 2027 recruiting class. The 5-star freshman has been the talk of Minneapolis all August, showcasing a speed that "simply looks different" on tape.

On the opposite sideline, Chris Creighton enters Year 2 of his rebuilding project on the Farm. Following a 4-8 campaign in 2026, Creighton is handing the keys to Sidney Miles, a redshirt freshman from Lawrence, Kansas.

Miles is a quintessential Creighton quarterback: a dual-threat athlete who can scramble out of a collapsing pocket and turn a broken play into a 40-yard gain. While it’s his first career start, the Gophers’ defense—which struggled with mobile QBs last season—cannot afford to be complacent.

Miles will be flanked by senior workhorse Chris Davis Jr. Davis, who averaged 3.9 yards per carry last year while flirting with the 1,000-yard mark, is the definition of "tough yards." If Stanford can establish the run early, they can keep Brand and his new-look offense on the sideline

The Cardinal defense doesn't have a "blue-chip" superstar, but they are remarkably consistent. Rated above average across the board, they rarely blow coverages. The question is whether their "disciplined" secondary can handle the pure track speed of Connor Malik and Jalen Smith.

If Brand has truly fixed the late-game decision-making that haunted him in January, Minnesota's aerial assault might be too much for a Stanford team still finding its identity under Miles.



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Aiden “AJ” Wexler is a writer for ShireNiner Nation covering Minnesota Gophers Football. He previously covered local high schools in the Minneapolis area. He is based in Minneapolis, MN. Follow AJ on Twitter @AidensFake.

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Comments

[redsox907]

Bubba Mack ain't walking thru the door

[Soapy]

Bubba Mack ain't walking thru the door

indeed
easy dub

[djp73]

Yall gotta have this one